Nationality American Website kimchestney.com | Known for Writer, Artist | |
Full Name Kimberley Anne Chestney Notable work The Psychic Workshop: A Complete Program for Fulfilling Your Spiritual Potential (2004)
The Art + Technology Initiative) (2008)
CREATE Festival (2014) Books The Psychic Workshop: A Complete Program for Fulfilling Your Spiritual Potential, Psy-Workshop | ||
Kim Chestney (born October 31, 1970) is a writer, artist and Director of Creative Industries Acceleration for the Pittsburgh Technology Council. She is the founder the Art + Technology Initiative and the CREATE Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2016, Chestney launched the Co-CREATE Creative Industries Business Ignition Program to empower artists as entrepreneurs. Kim is the founder and President of Mystic Studios.
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Early life
Kim Chestney, born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, lived in the United Kingdom and Toronto, Canada, before settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Trained from her youth as a writer and oil painter, she holds degrees in Art, English, Philosophy, Metaphysics and Comparative Religion.
Career
In 2004, Chestney published her first book, The Psychic Workshop: A Complete Program for Fulfilling Your Spiritual Potential, as a guide for developing intuition as a tool for personal and cultural growth. According to Chestney, Intuition is a crucial element in the evolution of consciousness.
She launched the Art + Technology Initiative and the 15 Minutes Gallery in 2008 at the Pittsburgh Technology Council, starting a movement to unite art, innovation and commerce. The Initiative evolved into the Creative Industries Network in 2012, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, forming a field of creatives, entrepreneurs and investors to support innovative creations and ideas. The network demonstrates how creative entrepreneurship leads to new business ideas and contributes to the economies of cities, neighborhoods, and small towns—wherever working artists call home.
In 2008, Chestney produced the first Design, Art + Technology Awards (DATA), which later became the annual CREATE Festival, in partnership with the Three Rivers Arts Festival, in 2015. CREATE is a national Creative Industries festival, focused on connectivity, interactivity and inspiration, that showcases and honors creative innovation and entrepreneurship.
Special Events
Chestney co-produced a South by Southwest event, with Carnegie Mellon University, presenting an array of art, music and technology at SXSW Interactive 2013.
Beyond Saints and Psychics, Chestney's book-release party was hosted by Jim Donovan, founding member of Rusted Root at Club Café in Pittsburgh.
The Art of Intuition, at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, focused on the power of Creativity and Intuition, as part of the Festival's 2015 Literary Arts week.
Projects
Inclusion, Innovation and Integrative Design, 2014 Creative Industries Research Study: In conjunction with Richard Florida's research team lead, Dr. Kevin Stolarick at Roger Martin's Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Chestney led the first Creative Industries study of its kind in the United States, breaking down the industry into 7 primary components: Design, Fine Art, Entertainment, Communications, Data Science, Software/Hardware and Creative Industry support services.
Art, Man + Technology Exhibition and Album Box Set: Collaborating with Australian artist and musician, Steve Kilbey, front man of The Church, Chestney curated an exhibition of 10 original works of art and spoken word for an immersive experience at the 15 Minutes Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA. The project turned into a full album box-set by Kilbey, and designed by Chestney.
Remake Learning [Kids & Creativity]: Chestney was a founding advisory board member of the nationally-benchmarked infrastructure for youth maker practices, digital technologies, creative arts, early childhood education, and media production.